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Slit Trench
|armor = Emplacement }} A Slit Trench is a Defensive Structure that can be built by several kinds of British Infantry in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts. It can hold up to 2 squads of a total 7 Infantrymen, and will give them excellent protection from most weapons. If abandoned, it can be occupied by anyone, even the enemy. Overview Slit Trenches are commonly known as defensive fighting positions. A Slit Trench is a long narrow trench dug into the ground and reinforced with sandbags. Americans sometimes call these "Foxholes" or "Fighting Holes", though the Slit Trenches featured in Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts are deeper, more permanent trenches than the foxholes used by the US during World War II, which were hastily dug which provided little protection. Four different British Infantry units can construct a Slit Trench: *Infantry Sections *Sappers *Commandos *PIAT Commandos In all four cases, construction of the Trench is completely free, and will take 20 seconds to complete. Once built, the Trench becomes a neutral structure (not belonging to any faction), similarly to civilian buildings in the environment. It can then be garrisoned by up to 7 men of no more than 2 different squads - for example a Commando Team (6 men) and a Lieutenant (1 man), or any other combination that fits within this limitation. Units within the Slit Trench are considered to be in "very heavy" cover. They receive a massive damage reduction bonus, are extremely hard to hit with most weapons, and cannot be suppressed at all. This protection enables an Infantry squad to survive very long against superior opposition. Since the Slit Trench is neutral by default, once ungarrisoned it can be captured by any other friendly or enemy squad. Every time it becomes empty of troops it will revert to a neutral state once more. Note that unlike other neutral garrison-able buildings, Weapon Teams may not garrison themselves in a Slit Trench at all. Mortar teams, etc.. Heavy Machine Gun teams are exempt from this exclusion: they can enter the Slit Trench freely. Protection Any infantry unit inside a Slit Trench is considered to be in a special kind of cover that the game files refer to as "Trench Cover". This sort of cover is superior to against all weapons. Trench Cover bestows the following bonuses: * A significant Damage Reduction of about 75% * An accuracy reduction of about 80% to all weapons firing at the entrenched unit * Complete immunity to Suppression Each weapon in the game reacts a little differently to Trench Cover, the above are only common values (except the Suppression Immunity, which always applies). For example, Tank Guns usually do far less damage to the occupants of the trench and have a much harder time hitting them. On the other hand, explosives tend to ignore the Trench's effects entirely. Some weapons can destroy the Slit Trench itself, rather than killing its occupants. An example of this is the Panzer Elite Hummel, whose artillery strikes are likely to blow the entire Trench up with a single shot. Flamethrowers are another unique variation: they will likely cause damage both to the Trench and its occupants at the same time. These are probably the most effective weapons against trenches, provided the firing unit can survive the attack by the Trench's occupants long enough to burn it to the ground. Flame based weapons, especially those of the Panzer Elite (incendiary grenades, incendiary mortar) are the most effective against Slit Trenches and units inside. The Stormtrooper Bundle Grenade is also somewhat effective. Tactics Slit Trenches are built as preliminary defensive positions by the British Infantry. Their defensive nature ties in very well with the ability to build themselves a strong defensive position in case of enemy attack. The Slit Trench should be positioned in a way that its occupants have a good line of fire on any possible approaches. However, you need to keep in mind that the enemy may manage to sneak into the trench at some later time, at which point he'll be able to use it against you. Therefore the best placement for a Slit Trench is such that it allows good line of fire towards the enemy territory, but little or no use against units coming from your own territory. This is not always possible, but should always be considered. Once a Slit Trench is constructed, you may garrison it at any time when the sector comes under attack. The soldiers inside should be able to hold off superior enemy numbers until help can arrive, or even dispatch them on their own. Slit Trenches are exceptionally useful when garrisoned with PIAT-equipped infantry (usually Sappers, though any unit that can get a PIAT or two will do fine). This allows the unit to combat any enemy vehicles or armor from the safety of the Trench. As an added bonus, tanks driving over the Trench will not injure the occupants, removing another threat to your anti-tank infantry when entrenched. Naturally, a Slit Trench only provides some of the firepower required to halt an enemy offensive. It is not a substitute for permanent weapon emplacements, like the 17 Pounder AT Gun or even the Vickers Machine Gun Emplacement. It is only meant to provide a place for infantry to take cover while they assist such emplacements, or as an early quick defense built to protect a weak or newly-captured sector. You can use 'Delete' key to destroy Slit Trench when you have infantry in it. Attacking a Slit Trench Many players find enemy-occupied Slit Trenched to be difficult, if not frustrating to assault. Indeed, most weapons will cause little to no damage to its occupants. The trick is to know which weapons to use, as some weapons can turn a Slit Trench into a deathtrap. Foremost of these weapons is the trusty flame-thrower, available in several forms, from infantry-carried to tank-mounted. Flame ignores the Trench Cover bonus, causing damage both to the trench and to its occupacts, killing them rapidly. The same goes for Panzer Elite incendiary grenades, which will leave a lasting impression. The Mortar Halftrack's incendary shot can do the same kind of damage. Artillery strikes are another very useful weapon. They need to hit very close to the trench to have any serious effect, but will do plenty of damage to the trench itself, eventually destroying it and killing all the troops inside. The same is true for mortars, though they will require plenty of shots to destroy the trench will do very little damage to troops inside. Also, always remember the trusty grenade. Tactical tip: you can build sand bags behind the trench and put a heavy machine gun behind it or vickers machine gun emplacment so the machine gun can suppress\pin enemy infantry and the troops in the trench will kill them Gallery Slit_Trench_03.jpg|An Infantry Section with their Lieutenant attacking from a well-dug-in Slit Trench Slit_Trench(Casualty).jpg|Even the well trained and well armed Stormtrooper Squad can find itself helplessly gunned down by Infantry Sections in Slit Trenches. Thus the invention of the bundled grenade. Category:British Structures Category:Defensive Structure Category:Passive Defenses